1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of structural materials and more particularly to load bearing floor or roof members, to systems made of such members and using connecting members for connecting the floor or roof members into a floor or roof system, and to means for supporting such a system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,348 (Rothman) discloses a construction panel comprising a core of expanded or foamed polymeric material embodied between two major face members of resin reinforced with glass fibres. The side walls of the panel comprise pultrusion angle members which are encapsulated in the panel within the major face members. Elongated U-shaped pultrusion reinforcing members may be disposed within the panel to provide reinforcement and a channel for the receipt of wires, pipes, or to act as heating, air conditioning or vacuum cleaning ducts. The glass fibres used to reinforce the major face members are in multidirectional orientation and have portions extending into the interior of the panel to provide a mechanical and chemical bond between the core and the major face members. The pultrusion members may be made from resin reinforced with continuous strands of glass fibres in unidirectional orientation, and are preferably prestressed. This known panel is composed of several separate members, i.e. an upper major face member, a lower major face member, pultruded end face members or side walls, and, if required, pultruded reinforcing members within the panel. Panels are connected together by bolts passing through the pultruded end face members or side walls of adjacent panels. This known panel thus requires separate manufacture of a number of seperate members, which members must then be assembled together to form the panel.